The Kerala High Court is considering a plea seeking a ban on sale of Booker Prize winner Arundhati Roy's latest book, 'Mother Mary Come to Me', with its present cover. The Court has also issued a notice to the Centre seeking clarification on the publication of images showing smoking.
Hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) moved by a Kerala-based lawyer, a bench comprising Chief Justice Nitin Jamdar and Justice Basant Balaji issued notice to the Centre, seeking details of agencies or mechanisms tasked to deal with such issues. The Court will next hear the matter on September 25.
Author Roy is seen smoking on the cover image of her latest book. In the plea, the petitioner argued that the image, sans any health warnings, sends out a "damaging message" to society, especially to girls and women, by "glorifying" the act of smoking.
"Glorification of smoking by an eminent author like her amounts to creating a false belief that such acts enhance intellectual creativity," it said. However, the petitioner clarified that his plea was not related to the content and substance of the book.
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The petitioner, a Kochi-based lawyer, Rajasimhan, also argued that the cover image was in violation of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act (COTPA), 2003.
As per the Act, direct and indirect advertisements of cigarettes and tobacco products, unless accompanied by the prescribed statutory health warnings, is prohibited. The petitioner sought withdrawal of copies of the book with its current cover from the market, and the image was "illegal and violative of COTPA".
